59. Was Jesus on earth and in heaven at the same time?

The passage in John 3:13 is to be taken in connection with the imme­diately preceding verse. Jesus had told his hearers of earthly things and they believed not. Would they believe if he told them of heavenly things?

Yet such knowledge of heavenly things could come only from One who had himself been in heaven, since no other hath ascended, to return with such knowledge, and none could know these things save he that hath descended, even the Son.

Many ancient authorities omit the last four words of the verse, "who is in heaven," regarding them as a later interpolation, unnecessary and tending to confuse the text.